Makeup mirror unit

ABSTRACT

A makeup mirror unit includes a pair of sub mirrors and a pair of rack portions. In order to take goods from the rack portions, the sub mirrors are rotated inwardly around shafts of first hinges. In order to match the sub mirrors together, the sub mirrors are rotated toward the front side together with the frames around shafts of second hinges which are attached opposite with respect to the first hinges. When the left and right sub mirrors are opened, and the side ends of the sub mirrors are adjacent with respect to each other in a state where the left and right sub mirrors are positioned in the front center portion of the makeup mirror unit, by connecting the magnet and the magnet receiver to each other, the sub mirrors can easily be connected in the center to be in the same plane.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a makeup mirror unit which is installedin the upper portion of a wash and makeup stand.

BACKGROUND ART

A makeup mirror unit comprising triple mirrors installed in the upperportion of a wash and makeup stand has been well-known. When a womanputs on her makeup such as eyeliner which requires precision, a manshaves, or a person puts in contact lenses by means of such a makeupmirror unit, it is necessary to move his or her face close to themirror. This is especially true and more necessary when a person whouses glasses takes their glasses off to wash his or her face.

Document 1, document 2, and document 3 disclose a means for solving theproblem that a user is forced to keep an uncomfortable position for along period of time as mentioned above.

Document 1 discloses a structure comprising a front mirror (main mirror)provided in the center of a cabinet, side mirrors (sub mirrors) providedin both sides of the cabinet, and racks provided also in both sides tobe covered by the side mirrors, in which a support frame is fixed so asto freely rotate by a hinge, and the side mirror is fixed to the supportframe so as to freely rotate by another hinge. In this structure, when auser takes makeup goods or the like from the rack, the user rotates theside mirror outward together with the support frame. When a user usesthis as triple mirrors, the user rotates only the side mirror inward.

Document 2 discloses a similar structure to document 1. However, indocument 2, a sheet-like door is employed instead of a frame, and a rackfor small goods is provided inside the door.

Document 3 discloses a structure in which auxiliary mirrors are providedat both sides of a main mirror, so as to freely rotate, and a shelfwhich uses the auxiliary mirror as a lid body is provided in a backpanel (cabinet). Document 3 also discloses a structure in which a guide(arm) is further provided between the auxiliary mirror and the backpanel so as to allow the auxiliary mirror to be further extended towarda user.

Document 4 and document 5 have been known as a conventional art materialwhich has the same effect as a case where a main mirror moves forward.

In document 4, a support arm is fixed to a makeup stand frame (cabinet)so as to freely rotate, and an auxiliary mirror is fixed to the supportarm so as to freely rotate, so that a user can move the auxiliary mirrorvery close to him/herself.

In document 5, a pantograph mechanism is used, so that a user can move afront mirror close to him/herself.

(Document)

-   Document 1: Japanese utility model application publication No.    54-36548-   Document 2: Japanese utility model application publication No.    62-79447-   Document 3: Japanese utility model application publication No.    5-37150-   Document 4: Japanese patent application publication No. 57-125705-   Document 5: Japanese patent application publication No. 2000-254021

According to documents 1-3, it is possible to rotate the sub mirrorclose to a user. However, the sub mirror can come close to a user onlyfrom the side, and the sub mirror cannot be positioned in front of themain mirror. Therefore, when a user puts on precise makeup or shaves,the user has to keep an unnatural state of turning the user's head orbody, which is uncomfortable.

Also, according to documents 4 and 5, a user can put on makeup or thelike by moving the mirror close to the user without turning the user'sbody. However, since the support arm is long in document 4, when a useruses the mirror by moving the mirror close to him/herself, the user hasto change where he/she stands, and it becomes difficult to use awashbowl.

In document 5, it is possible to surely move the mirror forward.However, since the pantograph mechanism is provided in the backside, itis impossible to effectively utilize the space of the backside.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a makeup mirror unitaccording to the present invention is comprised of a cabinet body, amain mirror provided in a substantially central portion of the frontsurface of the cabinet body, a rack portion provided at least in oneside of the main mirror, and a sub mirror which covers the rack portion,wherein a frame is fixed in a portion of the front surface of the rackportion, which is near to the main mirror, so as to freely rotate in ahorizontal direction, and the sub mirror is fixed to the outer end ofthe frame so as to freely rotate in a horizontal direction.

With this structure, it is possible to move the sub mirror in front ofand very close to a user without causing the user's position to change.

As the shape of the frame, it is possible to use a C shape comprising avertical member, an upper horizontal member and a lower horizontalmember. In this instance, it is preferable to position the verticalmember at the end which is near to the rotation center of the submirror, in other words, which is remote from the rotation center of theframe. With this positioning, an opening area becomes large whencosmetics or the like are taken from the rack portion, so thatuser-friendliness can be improved. In addition, when the sub mirror isclosed, the vertical member becomes positioned in the vertical portionoutside the sub mirror, which can eliminate the gap in the side surfaceand prevent steam from entering the rack portion from the washbowl.

The shape of the frame is not limited to a C shape. It is also possibleto use a box shape, or a shape comprising two bars except a verticalmember of a C shape.

Regarding a hinge for fixing the frame to the cabinet body so as tofreely rotate, it is preferable to locate the rotation axis of the hingeat a position of overlapping with the sub mirror in a closed state froma plan view or at a forward position thereto.

With this structure, it is possible to prevent the end surface of thesub mirror at the side of the main mirror from interfering with the endsurface of the main mirror when the sub mirror is opened. It is alsopossible to place the sub mirror and the main mirror in the same planewhen the sub mirror is closed. In addition, since the distance betweenthe sub mirror and the main mirror can be reduced, the appearance can beimproved by having only a small gap between the mirrors.

It is possible to clamp a seat of a hinge for fixing the frame and thesub mirror to a back surface of the frame, and clamp the other seat forthe hinge to a back surface of the sub mirror.

With this structure, the appearance becomes good because the seats forthe hinge can be prevented from being exposed even in a case where thesub mirror is opened.

It is also possible to integrally form the seat of the hinge for fixingthe frame and the sub mirror together with the frame, and integrallyform a seat of the hinge for fixing the frame to the cabinet bodytogether with the frame.

With this structure, since the number of the components is reduced, thecost can be reduced, and good appearance can also be achieved.

The sub mirror may be provided at both sides of the main mirror. In thisinstance, it is possible to provide a simple coupling member forcoupling the sub mirrors to each other, such as a magnet, a sheetfastener, a hook or the like, in the ends of the sub mirrors near to themain mirror.

With this structure, the sub mirrors can be coupled easily in thecentral portion so as to be in the same plane, and the user-friendlinesscan be improved.

A rack portion for small goods may be provided in the back surface ofthe sub mirror, which utilizes the thickness of the frame. If thethickness of the frame is increased, not only the rigidity can beincreased, but also the thickness can be utilized as a rack portion.There are cases where a rack portion can be formed without recessing theback surface of the sub mirror.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment using the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a makeup mirrorunit according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing an embodiment of a hinge according tothe present invention;

FIGS. 4( a)-(c) show movement of the makeup mirror in the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view showing another embodiment of the makeupmirror according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view showing another embodiment of the makeupmirror according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 7( a) and (b) is a view showing another embodiment of the hingeaccording to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anembodiment using the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective viewshowing an embodiment of a makeup mirror unit according to the presentinvention, FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing an embodiment of a hingeaccording to the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows movement of themakeup mirror in the present invention.

A makeup mirror unit 1 is to be installed in an upper portion of awashstand 2, and comprises a cabinet body which is integrally formed byusing resin. A rack portion is provided inside the cabinet body 3. Amain mirror 11 is fixed to the front surface of the cabinet body 3 via ahinge 35 (shown in FIG. 3) so as to freely rotate, sub mirrors 10 and 10are provided at both sides of the main mirror 11, and a lighting means 6is installed in the upper end of the cabinet body 3.

In this regard, the width of the sub mirror 10 is ½-⅔ of the main mirror11. In the case where the width of the sub mirror 10 is ½ of the mainmirror 11, when both sub mirrors 10 are matched (shown in FIG. 5), thesize of the matched sub mirrors 10 becomes the same as the main mirror11, and the matched sub mirrors 10 creates the same state as if the mainmirror 11 moves forward, so that the user-friendliness can be improved.In the case where the width of the sub mirror 10 is ⅔ of the main mirror11, the area of the matched sub mirrors 10 becomes greater than that ofthe main mirror 11, so that the user-friendliness can be improvedfurthermore. However, since the width of the cabinet body 3 is limitedto a predetermined one, if the width of the sub mirror 10 is too great,the width of the main mirror 11 needs to be reduced correspondingly.Therefore, ½-⅔ is preferable.

The rack portion which is provided inside the cabinet body 3 iscomprised of a central rack portion 4, and left and right rack recessportions 7, 7 which are divided in a longitudinal direction. The mainmirror 11 serves as an open-close door for the central rack portion 4.Removable shelf trays 8 are provided to form a plurality of stages.

A frame 9 is provided at the front surface of the rack recess portion 7.As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 9 has a C shape which comprises avertical member 9 a, and upper and lower horizontal members 9 b and 9 c.The ends, which are near to the main mirror 11, of the horizontalmembers 9 b and 9 c are supported so as to freely rotate in a horizontaldirection by a hinge 31 around a shaft 31 a. The vertical member 9 a isprovided between the outer ends of the horizontal members 9 b and 9 c.The sub mirror 10 is supported at the outer ends of the horizontalmembers 9 b and 9 c where the vertical member 9 a is provided, so as tofreely rotate in a horizontal direction by a hinge 30 around a shaft 30a.

With this, by positioning the vertical member 9 a in the end which isnear to the rotation center of the sub mirror, in other words, by notpositioning the vertical member 9 a in the rotation center of the frame9, the vertical member 9 a can be prevented from being an obstacle whenthe sub mirror is opened and cosmetics are taken from the rack recessportion 7. In addition, when the sub mirror 10 is closed, the verticalmember 9 a blocks the gap between the sub mirror 10 and the cabinet body3 so as to improve the appearance, and prevents steam from entering.

A rack portion for small goods 20 is provided in the back surface of thesub mirror 10. A shelf plate 21 is integrally formed in the rack portionfor small goods 20, and a bar 22 for preventing goods from falling isattached in a slightly upper portion with respect to the shelf plate 21.

In the embodiment which is shown in the drawing, the rack portion forsmall goods 20 is formed by recessing the back surface of the sub mirror10 forward. However, it is also possible to form the rack portion forsmall goods 20 by increasing the thickness of the frame 9 and utilizingthe increased thickness. In this case, a shelf can be projected to thesame extent as the thickness of the frame 9.

Also, as mentioned above, the sub mirror 10 is supported at the outerends of the horizontal members 9 b and 9 c of the frame 9 so as tofreely rotate in a horizontal direction by the hinge 30. The other ends(inner ends) of the frame 9 are supported at the cabinet body 3 so as tofreely rotate in a horizontal direction by the hinge 31.

The frame 9 rotates around the end which is near to the main mirror 11in a horizontal direction by the hinge 31.

The hinge 30 is comprised of seats 301 and 302, and the hinge 31 iscomprised of seats 311 and 312. In the present embodiment, the seats 301and 312 are fixed to the back surface of the frame 9 so as to beinconspicuous.

A magnet 7 a can be provided in the front surface of the rack recessportion 7, specifically, in a position where the magnet 7 a can face tothe iron seat 302. With this structure, when a user wants to open thesub mirror 10 alone, the frame 9 can be prevented from being movedtogether, and the user-friendliness can be improved.

The rotation shaft 31 a of the hinge 31 is located at a position whichallows the rotation shaft 31 a to overlap with the sub mirror 10 in aclosed state from a plan view, or a forward position of the sub mirror10. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rotation orbit of the endsurface of the sub mirror 10 in the side of the main mirror 11 fromreaching out to the side of the main mirror 11 beyond the end surface ofthe sub mirror 10 in the side of the main mirror 11 in a closed state.Since the sub mirror 10 can be installed without providing a gap ordifferent stages between the sub mirror 10 and the main mirror 11, it ispossible to achieve a structure of a makeup mirror having goodappearance and user-friendliness.

The movement of the sub mirror 10 of the makeup mirror unit having theabove-mentioned structure will now be explained.

First, in order to take goods from the rack portion 7 which is in aclosed state as shown in FIG. 4( a), the sub mirror 10 is rotatedinwardly around the shaft 30 a of the hinge 30 as shown in FIG. 4( b).By doing so, a user can easily take out goods while keeping the samestanding position in front of the makeup mirror unit 1.

Next, in order to use as a matched mirror, as shown in FIG. 4( c), thesub mirror 10 is rotated toward the front side together with the frame 9around the shaft 31 a of the hinge 31 which is attached to the oppositeend to the hinge 30. By doing so, it is possible to use as a matchedmirror.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which the left and right sub mirrorsare connected in the center. Face rims 50 are attached to the upper andlower ends of the sub mirror 10. A magnet 51 and a magnet receiver 52are imbedded in the side end of the rim face 50 which is in the side ofthe main mirror 11.

When the left and right sub mirrors 10, 10 are opened, and the side endsof the sub mirrors 10 are adjacent with respect to each other in a statewhere the left and right sub mirrors 10, 10 are positioned in the frontcenter portion of the makeup mirror unit, the magnet 51 and the magnetreceiver 52 are connected to each other. Consequently, the sub mirrorscan easily be connected in the center to be in the same plane, so as toimprove the user-friendliness.

FIG. 6 shows a state where the hinge and the frame are integrallyformed. In this case, the hinge 33 and the hinge 34 are integrallyformed with the frame 9 in both ends thereof. The cabinet body 3 and thesub mirror 10 are fixed so as to freely rotate by the hinge 33 and thehinge 34, respectively.

Since the seat portions of the hinge 33 and the hinge 34 are integrallyformed with both ends of the frame 9, the appearance at the time ofopening the sub mirror 10 can be improved, and the cost can be reducedby decreasing the number of the components.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the hinge 31 which connects thecabinet body 3 and the frame 9. In this embodiment, the hinge 31 iscomprised of a member 311 which is in the side of the cabinet body and amember 312 which is in the side of the frame. The member 312 issupported so as to freely rotate with respect to the member 311 via theshaft 31 a.

A notch 61 is formed in the member 311, and a stopper 62 is fixed to themember 312.

When the frame 9 is rotated around the shaft 31 a from the closed stateas shown in FIG. 7( a) to an opening direction, the notch 61 abutsagainst the stopper 62 as shown in FIG. 7( b), so as to stop beingrotated further.

By limiting the rotation angle α of the frame 9 as mentioned above, itis possible to prevent the sub mirror 10 from moving toward the mainmirror 11 farther than needed, and also prevent the main mirror 11 frombeing damaging by the back surface of the sub mirror. 10 Accordingly, auser can move the sub mirror 10 in front of the main mirror 11comfortably.

Incidentally, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, there areprovided two sub mirrors right and left. However, only one mirror may beprovided in one side.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, a user can use a mirror widely inthe center of a wash and makeup stand by locating the sub mirror in afront and substantially central position of a makeup mirror unit in astate where the sub mirror is opened forward.

Also, a user can move the sub mirror toward his/her face withoutchanging his/her position. Therefore, even when a user takes cosmeticsfrom the rack portions for small goods provided at the left and right,the user has only to slightly shift his/her line of the sight withoutchanging the height of his/her line of sight. Consequently, it isextremely easy to use.

1. A makeup mirror unit in combination with a wash and makeup standcomprising: a cabinet body installed in the upper portion of the washand makeup stand; a left sub mirror provided to substantially cover anouter left portion of a front surface of said cabinet body; a mainmirror is provided to substantially cover a central portion of the frontsurface of said cabinet body; a right sub mirror provided tosubstantially cover an outer right portion of the front surface of saidcabinet body; a left frame having a left side pivotally fixed to anouter left edge of the left sub mirror and having a right side pivotallyfixed with a limited rotation angle to a portion of the cabinet adjacentto the main mirror so that the left frame and the left sub mirror areable to freely rotate in a horizontal direction providing a fully openstate when said left sub mirror is facing outwardly in the front centerportion of the main mirror; a right frame having a left side pivotallyfixed to an outer right edge of the right sub mirror and having a rightside pivotally fixed with a limited rotation angle to a portion of thecabinet adjacent to the main mirror so that the right frame and theright sub mirror are able to freely rotate in a horizontal directionproviding a fully open state when said right sub mirror is facingoutwardly in the front center portion of the main mirror; a leftcoupling member provided on an inner right edge of the left sub mirror;a right coupling member provided on an inner left edge of the right submirror; wherein when both sub mirrors are in the fully open state, saidcoupling members are connected together providing a mirrored surfacespaced in front of the main mirror, and wherein the limited rotationangle of the frames prevents the sub mirrors from rotating toward themain mirror, thereby preventing a back surface of the sub mirrors fromcontacting the main mirror.
 2. A makeup mirror unit comprising: acabinet body; a left sub mirror provided to substantially cover an outerleft portion of the front surface of said cabinet body; a main mirrorprovided to substantially cover a central portion of the front surfaceof said cabinet body; a right sub mirror provided to substantially coveran outer right portion of the front surface of said cabinet body; a leftframe having a left side pivotally fixed to an outer left edge of theleft sub mirror and having a right side pivotally fixed with a limitedrotation angle to a portion of the cabinet adjacent to the main mirrorso that the left frame and the left sub mirror are able to freely rotatein a horizontal direction providing a fully open state when said leftsub mirror is facing outwardly in a front center portion of the mainmirror; a right frame having a left side pivotally fixed to an outerright edge of the right sub mirror and having a right side pivotallyfixed with a limited rotation angle to a portion of the cabinet adjacentto the main mirror so that the right frame and the right sub mirror areable to freely rotate in the horizontal direction providing a fully openstate when said right sub mirror is facing outwardly in a front centerportion of the main mirror; a left coupling member provided on an innerright edge of the left sub mirror; a right coupling member provided onan inner left edge of the right sub mirror; wherein when both submirrors are in the fully open state, said coupling members are connectedtogether providing a mirrored surface spaced in front of the mainmirror, and wherein the limited rotation angle of the frames preventsthe sub mirrors from rotating toward the main mirror, thereby preventinga back surface of the sub mirrors from contacting the main mirror. 3.The makeup mirror unit according to claim 2, wherein the main mirrorrotates.
 4. The makeup mirror unit according to claim 1, wherein thewidth of the sub mirror is ½-⅔of the main mirror.
 5. The makeup mirrorunit according to claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a verticalmember, and the vertical member is positioned at the end which is nearto the rotation center of the sub mirror.
 6. The makeup mirror unitaccording to claim 5, wherein the frame has a C shape comprising thevertical member, an upper horizontal member and a lower horizontalmember.
 7. The makeup mirror unit according to claim 1, wherein a hingeis provided for fixing the frame to the cabinet body so as to freelyrotate, and the rotation axis of the hinge is located at a position ofoverlapping with the sub mirror in a closed state from a plan view or ata forward position thereto.
 8. The makeup mirror unit according to claim1, wherein a seat of a hinge for fixing the frame and the sub mirror isclamped to a back surface of the frame, and the other seat of the hingeis clamped to the back surface of the sub mirror.
 9. The makeup mirrorunit according to claim 1, wherein a seat of a hinge for fixing theframe and the sub mirror is integrally formed with the frame, and a seatof a hinge for fixing the frame to the cabinet body is integrally formedwith the frame.
 10. The makeup mirror unit according to claim 1, whereina rack portion for small goods is provided in the back surface of thesub mirror, which utilizes the thickness of the frame.